Hancock holiday home tour is first in decades

HANCOCK -- Flint's Chance, the Toll House, the Good Samaritan House and the Taney House are all part of the Hancock Historical Society's Holiday Homes Tour this month.

The tour, to be held the weekend of Nov. 21-22, is the first house tour in Hancock for decades, according to historical society officials.

Historical society member Tracy Salvagno said another member found a program from a 1950s house tour, but this is the first in recent history.

"We would like it to become an annual tradition," Salvagno said of the tour that is a fundraiser for the historical society.

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Not all of the "homes" on the tour are currently being used as homes. The tour includes churches, as well as bed and breakfasts.

According to notes for the tour brochure, the tour features:

o Toll House on Old National Pike, west of Hancock. The building ceased being used as a tollhouse in the late 1800s and was donated to the Town of Hancock in 1999 by William and Dottie Dugan. The historical society maintains the building.

o Foxcroft, 3 Grand St. Completed in 1908, this stately mansion is also referred to as the Dillon Mansion as it was once owned by R. Samuel Dillon Jr., a member of a prominent orchard family and a state lawmaker. The Salvagnos are restoring the home, which features 14 rooms.

o 1828 Trail Inn, a bed and breakfast at 10 W. Main St. that was known for many years as the McKinley House. The inn was once home to Dr. P. Elwood Stigers and housed Mason's Drug Store in the basement. Bill and Darlene Smith operate the bed and breakfast, which is furnished mainly in mission style.

o St. Thomas Episcopal Church, 2 E. High St. Built in 1835. The church served as a Union hospital after Hancock was attacked by Confederate Gen. Stonewall Jackson on Jan. 5, 1862. The church's graveyard is the final resting place for Confederate Maj. James Breathed, who was chief of J.E.B. Stuart's horse artillery.

o The Taney House on Berm Road near the canal. The building, built around 1878, was a warehouse for a whiskey dealership operated by Raphael E. Taney during the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal's heyday. It later became a home before Sinclair Hamilton and his wife, Susan Lothers, transformed it a few years ago into Riverrun Bed 'N Breakfast. The B&B has an art studio.

o Hancock Museum within Town Hall on High Street.

o Hancock United Methodist Church, 170 W. Main St., the first church built within town limits.

o Good Samaritan House, 6-8 W. High St. Known for years as the McCarty House, it is home to transitional housing operated by the nonprofit Interfaith Service Coalition.

o Mr. Flint's, Flint's Chance or Cohill Manor, 5102 Western Pike west of Hancock. The home was visited by George Washington, who made note of his stop there in 1769 journal entries. The home has been owned by the Cohill family off and on, including currently. For many years it was owned by E.P. Cohill, who was the first commercial apple grower in Maryland in 1880 before starting Tonoloway Orchards, according to his great-grandson John Cohill.

If you go ...

WHAT: Hancock Historical Society's Holiday Homes Tour

WHEN: Saturday, Nov. 21, and Sunday, Nov. 22; 1 to 5 p.m. both days

WHERE: Various locations in the Hancock area

COST: Advance tickets cost $10 for adults; $5 for students. Tickets on the day of the event, available at any of the tour stops, cost $12 for adults; $6 for students. Advance tickets must be purchased by Wednesday, Nov. 18. For advance tickets, call Marian Golden at 301-678-6308.

MORE: After the tour, the Hancock Museum will offer refreshments and the chance to win a door prize.